Al-Qaeda's Jihad on Anti-Morsi Egyptians

Since Islamists have tasted power -- Salafis, Muslim Brotherhood or al-Qaeda -- it is unlikely that they will quietly release the reins of power without a fight.

Now that the Egyptian military appears to have granted the nation's wish—to be rid of Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood, as millions have been chanting, "Irhal" ["Leave office"] -- al-Qaeda appears to have stepped in.

Hours before Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi was sidelined by the military council, Muhammad al-Zawahiri, Egypt's al-Qaeda leader, declared that the terrorist organization would wage a jihad to save Morsi and his Islamist agenda for Egypt. (They would not be the first Islamic terrorists to come to his aid; Hamas members were earlier arrested from inside Muslim Brotherhood headquarters, where they opened fire on protesters.)

According to a July 2 Veto Gate report, "al-Qaeda, under the leadership of Muhammad Zawahiri, is currently planning reprisal operations by which to attack the army and the Morsi-opposition all around the Republic [of Egypt]." The report adds that, hours before this information was ascertained, Zawahiri had been arrested and was being interrogated—only to be ordered released by a presidential order. He has since fled to the Sinai, where al-Qaeda is stationed—not to mention where Morsi had reportedly earlier summoned thousands of foreign jihadis to come to his aid whenever necessary, and where he may even have smuggled Muhammad Zawahiri's brother, Ayman Zawahiri—al-Qaeda's supreme leader.

In another report, Muhammad Zawahiri "offered joy to our Muslim Brothers in Egypt, for in all circumstances, we will not lose, Allah willing- - quite the contrary." He added that "if matters reach a confrontation, then to be sure, that is in our favor -- for we have nothing to lose. And at all times and places where chaos reigns, it's often to the jihad's advantage." Zawahiri concluded by saying that even if many and important jihadis and Islamists are arrested, it matters not, "for we sold our souls to Allah" -- a reference to Koranic verses like 9:111 -- "and welcome the opportunity to fight to the death."

In the context of all these threats, many Egyptians are understandably worried. Right before the military intervened, a Tahrir TV host frantically and repeatedly called Morsi a "murderer," and the Brotherhood, a "gang of murderers," adding, "Oh Minister of Defense -- move! Move! Move and save the country! There is no time!" This may also explain why so many leading Islamists -- including Morsi himself -- have been arrested and held by the military, on the charge of inciting Muslims against anti-Morsi demonstrators, by portraying them as "apostates" who must be fought and killed for are trying to resist the implementation of the Sharia of Allah.

They may also be being held as hostages to dissuade al-Qaeda from waging an all-out jihad, as many of those arrested -- Safwat Hegazy, Hazim Abu Ismail, Tarek al-Zomor, Khaled Abdullah -- are open friends of Muhammad Zawahiri.

On the other hand, although the Brotherhood has been portrayed in the U.S. as "just another" political party -- or, in the mystifying words of James Clapper, Obama's director of national intelligence, "largely secular," which is the last thing it is -- it is folly to think that Morsi, the Brotherhood, and all their Islamist and jihadi allies are going to go peacefully.

Now that the Islamists have tasted power -- Salafis, Muslim Brotherhood, or al-Qaeda -- it is unlikely that they will quietly release the reins of power without a fight. History has proven that many jihadis never give up -- unless they are in prison or dead. And as Egyptian al-Qaeda leader Muhammad Zawahiri pointed out, not only have they long been inured to sufferings and deprivations -- they have nothing to lose.

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5 Reader Comments

Bart Benschop • Jul 9, 2013 at 03:08

Dear Sir,

All Muslims are Islamists. In Egypt Muslims have been in power for some thirteen centuries. Over that time a number of different versions of the Muslim doctrine, of which the Muslim Brotherhood is one, have ruled Egypt. Mr.Morsi is a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, which has been trying to get into power for a very long time against strong opposition. Al-Qaeda's doctrine is predominantly based on the Muslim Brotherhood's docrine. They say Al Shari'ia is the law of Allah. There are several different schools of Muslim law. The differences between these schools is very minimal. The Salafi school is just one of the Muslim law schools.

Kind regards,

Bart Benschop

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A.T. Halmay • Jul 4, 2013 at 11:15

Better to have them surface to fight and to be killed than to work stealthily underground as they do in America.

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Edward Cline • Jul 4, 2013 at 04:46

It's far too early to hail the end of Morsi's Sharia-compliant régime, as Mr. Ibrahim explains here, and for two reasons: the Brotherhood has been beaten before in the past, its principals jailed and even executed; but it has a tenacious, driving power-lust to impose its agenda. It has optional strategies (such as jihad), and its exponents are many and ruthless, such as Zawahiri; and the anti-Morsi and anti-Brotherhood forces and that those millions of protesting Egyptians are politically rudderless, with no sound conception of what "democracy" is or of individual rights or what the rule of law means. (Our own political leaders are clueless about those issues, as well, if not openly hostile to them, viz. Obama). It's pleasant to see demonstrators' signs that condemn Obama for encouraging and enabling the ascension of the Brotherhood, but that phenomenon is just another manifestation of the Arab Street's congenital hatred of America, and is not "Obama-specific." It will be interesting to see how things play out in Egypt, but I for one am not optimistic that the country will turn Cinderella and turn into a steadfast, secular ally of the U.S. Secularization, minus any and all references to Islam, is the missing slipper that simply does not fit contemporary Egypt.

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Hass Edward Cline • Jul 6, 2013 at 06:11

It is beyond belief how Obama thinks he can pacify the Muslims. He knows exactly what they are, but he prefers to keep the delusional dream.

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Hanna Hass • Jul 7, 2013 at 20:19

Islam has always been the same; never learned and will never learn. It can't due to its basic tenets. Obama is supposed to be an Islamic apostate! He is likely a fake Christian; even his former pastor Jeremiah Wright admitted he found it " difficult" as a Christian. He is no apostate. He would be in the firing line if he was and taken out by Muslims by now! No, he had to pretend to become a Christian as part of the plan. He is a member of the brotherhood I suspect.

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